For the Reporter
King County Flood Control District officials met with Green River Valley residents at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on Tuesday for the second of two meetings where the public was able to review and comment on a variety of flood protection solutions for the lower Green River Valley.
Building on the first meeting held in Auburn last week, the Kent gathering allowed citizens the opportunity to examine options that satisfy the multiple and often competing federal mandates and legal requirements that apply to levee systems. Project employees were at the meeting to gather feedback and answer questions.
“Hearing directly from those affected by any proposed plan is critical to the success of this project and we will continue to proactively seek public comment as we continue our work to develop a plan to better protect the Green River Valley,” said Reagan Dunn, chair of the flood district board.
“Flood protection is critical to South King County,” said board supervisor Dave Upthegrove. “It impacts the economy, jobs, and public safety. It was great to see such strong turnout and participation at this meeting.”
“It is important to continue to listen to those in our community most affected by the potential of catastrophic flooding. We must remain diligent in our work to protect the residents and jobs in the greater Green River Valley,” said board supervisor Pete von Reichbauer, who also attended the Sept. 23 meeting at Auburn City Hall.
To address the risks associated with an aging levee system, the district has worked with a variety of constituents and stakeholders to be able to present several alternatives for making improvements.
Known as the Green River System-Wide Improvement Framework (SWIF), the product will be a prioritized set of projects and recommendations to achieve flood protection goals that build economic, ecologic and community resiliency.
For more about the Green River SWIF, or to provide comments, visit www.kingcounty.gov/rivers, or contact Jennifer Knauer at 206-477-4856 or Jennifer.knauer@kingcounty.gov.
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